Mission

Understanding the Nature of Childhood strives to…

Improve adult understanding of early childhood. By informing and empowering parents, caregivers, teachers, and community members, we can break cycles of confusion, frustration and shame which often causes individual distress, family tension, and community worries. We help raise children who become confident and caring adults.

Many adults assume that a child is acting “difficult,” or a child is difficult, when really, the adult is misunderstanding the child’s needs. Adults who are parenting or teaching young children often have strong values for how to raise children. But learning how to live up to one’s ideals when faced with daily challenges requires practice, mentorship and self-reflection. Understanding the Nature of Childhood gives adults tools to be the role models that they want to be for children.